OCLC Research: Past, Present, and Future

From its modest beginnings in the mid 1970s as a small research and development unit of Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC), OCLC Research has evolved to become a significant research organization, a preeminent laboratory for the exploration of innovative uses of library data and information system technology, and a key agent of change, advancing the state of the art within OCLC and in the global library and information science community. OCLC Research is one of the world's leading centers devoted to exploration, innovation, and community building on behalf of libraries, archives, and museums and is dedicated to helping memory institutions more effectively serve users of information, information systems, and cultural heritage collections.